mamajack wrote:
Hello, truck campers! I've only ever camped in a tent or a camp trailer for short periods of time in decent weather.
But I have an almost-eighteener who plans to move out soon. She's a good kid, no trouble at home; this isn't about getting the heck out. It's just an adventurous girl with the usual restless wings, who wants to try adulting in her own way...by moving out in the dead of an Idaho winter to live in a cabover she paid $600 for and has been fixing up. Which leaks a bit. And doesn't have a furnace.
She's also a falconer and will be accompanied by her hawk, an American Kestrel named Clara Hazmat.
As her parents, we've decided the best we can do is let her move out with as little to prove to us as possible, so that should the experiment fail, coming home won't be any harder than necessary.
So, what I want is real nonjudgmental input about the logistics and practicalities. In particular, is there any safe way to heat a cabover (remember, no onboard furnace--and no shore power either, though the truck has that) while she's not in it but Hazzie is?
This girl is an A student, passionate about falconry and very committed to it, unusually cooperative and helpful at home, and very, very determined to tackle this adventure. I just want to help her do it as safely as possible. Arguments against her doing it aren't what I'm after here, although I'm willing to hear cautions and things to consider--especially if there are solutions and suggestions offered.
We think it may be a short-lived experiment that she will revisit when the weather gets nice (and she's safely graduated from high school!).
When you say cabover,,this comes to mind.. :)
https://youtu.be/3GrQcaIYQRgIf you mean truck camper,,Id like to know what brand it is..how much insulation in the walls,etc..
I havent seen any TC that one could live full time in winter..
I have Espar diesel, one deep cycle battery and 80V solar panel,,also R10 wall insulation and double pane windows in my homebuilt TC..
And at minus 20 the heater kept going almost continuously,,
Batery was down to 85% by the morning,,was lucky I could recharge at the job site from house power..
To run heater full time I would need at least two deep cycle batts,,and more solar panels too..
